Never Give Up, Never Surrender
by DaLiza
Summary: Fitz wakes up from a nightmare and finds Simmons is resting her head on his leg. A continuation of episode 3x02.


_Coulson watches me as I open the scroll that will unlock the mysteries of the monolith and bring Jemma home. He looks at the single Hebrew word on the parchment. "Do you know what it means?"_

" _Death." I back away from the scroll on shaky legs. Suddenly it seems like there's not enough air in the room and I'm drowning on dry land. I struggle to stay standing._

" _You did everything you could, Fitz," Coulson says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "But it's time to accept the fact that Simmons is gone. It's time to say goodbye."_

" _I can't give up. I won't. I'm too close to finding her."_

" _You always think you're close. I used to admire your persistence, but now…it's becoming pathetic. I don't want you to waste the rest of your life on a lost cause."_

 _My insides are churning. "It's not a lost cause."_

" _I know you believe that. But we're not living in a Disney movie, Fitz. Believing in something with all your heart doesn't guarantee a happy ending. I need you to stop chasing fairytales and start doing your damn job. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs you. Think of all the lives you could save if you focused on your work."_

" _Just give me a couple more weeks, sir. Please."_

" _You said that two weeks ago. And I have no doubt you'll say it again two weeks from now. I'm sorry, but I'm done being patient. I'm not going to watch you throw your life away. I've given orders to have the monolith destroyed."_

" _NO! You can't do that! I won't let you!" A surge of adrenaline fills my body. I never imagined fighting Coulson, but if that's what it takes to save Jemma, I'll do it. I'll do anything._

" _It's too late, Fitz. It's already happened."_

 _I run past Coulson, heading straight for the monolith room. The door is open. I see pieces of black rock scattered all over the floor. Mack is picking them up and putting them in a biohazard bin._

" _Sorry, Turbo," Mack says. "It had to be done."_

 _I knock the bin out of Mack's hands, dumping its contents on the floor. I drop to my knees and try to fit the pieces back together._

 _Mack laughs at me. "Give it up, Fitz. If Ward hadn't messed up your brain, you might have saved Simmons, but you're damaged now. This is a problem you can't fix."_

" _You're wrong! I can bring her back!"_

 _Someone grabs me from behind. I turn my head to see that it's Hunter. "Let it go, mate," he says as he drags me away from the debris. "She's not coming back."_

 _I flail about like a wild animal caught in a trap. It's not enough to break Hunter's grip, but it's enough to annoy him._

" _He's going crazy, Mack!" Hunter shouts. "Use an ICER on him."_

" _If Simmons is never coming back, don't bother with an ICER," I shout back. "Use a real gun."_

" _That's a bit melodramatic, don't you think?" Hunter asks. "We can't kill you, Fitz. You're too valuable to S.H.I.E.L.D.. Just calm down. Look, I can introduce you to some lovely girls who will help you forget all about Simmons."_

" _I won't forget her! I'll reassemble the monolith and bring her home."_

" _You're out of your mind, mate. Use the bloody ICER, Mack!"_

" _I don't have one," Mack tells Hunter. "And he won't listen to reason. You'll have to choke him."_

 _I feel Hunter's arms tighten around my neck._

" _Don't fight it," Hunter says. "Just go to sleep. When you wake up, this whole mess will be cleaned up and we can all go on with our lives."_

 _NO. This isn't right. My friends wouldn't treat me this way. Coulson wouldn't call me pathetic. Mack wouldn't call me damaged. Hunter wouldn't think a date with another woman could make me forget about Simmons. He knows I love her. They all do._

 _None of this is real. I'm dreaming._

 _Wake up._

 _WAKE UP!_

Slowly, slowly the mental images of Mack, Hunter, and the monolith room fade into darkness. I'm sweating and my heart is racing, so I keep my eyes closed and take a few deep breaths.

It was just a dream. The monolith hasn't been destroyed. There's still hope…

My heart races again as memories of the last twenty four hours flood my mind. The Asgardian. The castle. The portal. Jemma's hand reaching for mine.

I found her. I brought her back!

Didn't I?

What if my rescuing Jemma was a dream too? Or an elaborate hallucination? I made myself believe she was standing beside me in the lab while she was undercover in Hydra.

Stupid broken brain!

I open my eyes. It takes them several seconds to adjust to the darkness.

There's a woman resting her head on my knee. A woman with brown hair in a ponytail.

It's Jemma! She's here!

Or am I still dreaming?

I reach out a hand to touch her hair. It feels real. She's _really_ here! I continue to stroke her hair as tears blur my vision.

She turns her head, her eyes half open. "Fitz?"

I pull my hand back like a child caught touching something he's not supposed to touch. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's not your fault. I was having a bad dream."

"I've been having bad dreams ever since you disappeared. I just had a dream where Coulson ordered the monolith to be destroyed. I was never going to see you again." I wipe away a tear sliding down my face. "What happened in your dream?"

She's quiet as her own tears fill her eyes. I wrap my arms around her and she hugs me back. She starts sobbing into my shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me. You don't have to talk about any of it until you're ready, okay?"

After a while her cries subside and her body relaxes against mine. "Thank you for finding me."

"I couldn't let you stay lost. Coulson told me I should stop looking, but I wasn't going to give up hope."

She pulls back to look at me. New tears are forming in her eyes. "I gave up hope, Fitz. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive. It shouldn't have taken me as long as it did. I should have figured it out sooner."

She puts her hand on my face. "Don't blame yourself. I know you were doing everything you could to save me. You always have."

"And I always will."

She kisses both of my cheeks.

She kisses my lips.

She's a fantastic kisser. Of course she is. She's good at everything she does.

"Jemma…that was….wonderful. But…did you kiss me just because I saved your life?"

"I didn't kiss you out of obligation. I am very thankful that you saved me, but I did it because I wanted to. I missed you, Fitz, more than I've ever missed anyone."

I smile for what feels like the first time in weeks. "I missed you too. But we're both here now, and I won't let the bloody cosmos separate us again."

She smiles back at me, then rests her head on my chest. "I like that plan."

"Should we try to get some more sleep? It's the middle of the night and you must be exhausted."

"I am exhausted, but I don't want to deal with more nightmares. Maybe we could watch some television."

"That's fine with me." I'm in no hurry to return to my nightmares either.

"We could have a snack while we watch. I can't tell you how much I missed real food."

"I can help you with that. I'll be right back." I run to my room and grab a box of Le Petit Ecolier, Jemma's favorite biscuit.

Her eyes light up when she sees the box. "I bought this a few weeks ago. I've been tempted to open it a couple times, but I kept telling myself that I was saving it for you."

"That's very sweet." She kisses my cheek again and embraces me. The hug goes on and on, neither of us wanting to let go.

Eventually we walk to the common area hand in hand and sit on the couch in front of the television. I pick up the remote and turn the T.V. on. "Do you want to watch _Doctor Who_?" I ask, knowing it's her favorite show. We used to watch it together back when we were at the Academy.

"Normally yes, but now…the idea of watching a show about someone who travels to different planets…"

"I understand." I hand her the remote. "Pick whatever you want."

She flips through the channels, ultimately picking the movie adaptation of _Sense and Sensibility_. "I watched this with my mum when I was young." A look of panic crosses her face. "Did my parents know I was missing for months?"

"They were concerned that you weren't answering your phone. Your mum called me a few months ago to ask if you were okay. I said that you couldn't talk to her because you were deep undercover. I felt bad lying, but I knew you wouldn't want your parents to worry."

"Thank you, Fitz. I'll give them a call later to let them know I'm alright."

"You could call them now if you wanted. It's not the middle of the night in England."

She sighs. "My mum will have a million questions that I'm not ready to answer. I'll call them later, I promise. Right now I just want to watch a movie with my best friend…and eat biscuits."

I wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Whatever makes you happy, Jemma."

As we watch the movie, I keep my arm around her shoulders and she leans into me. We eat the entire box of biscuits and a bag of microwave popcorn that I found in the cupboards.

Being this close to Jemma is amazing, spectacular, and every other positive word I can think of. This feels like a date. No, it's more than that. It feels like the start of something special, something that will last the rest of our lives.

It feels like home.

 **Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


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